Typewriting machine



May 2,1933. w. F. HELMOND TYPEWRITING MACHINE Filed Feb. 29, 1932 Patented May 2, ,1933 y I UNETED I A TE J.

WARE

PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM rfrnimionn, mama-5,, domino-ricer, Assieiroa To WOOD ELLIOTT, FISHER conrANY, orNEw' oax, NLY, A coarom'rronor mannryrnwm'rine mncnmn' H Application filed February 29, 1 932 Serial No. 595,801.

. This invention relates to typewriting machines, and particularly to platen-feed-roll mechanism therefor. 1

In typewriting' machines or the like, there are usually provided, tangent to the platen,

two parallel lines of feed-rolls connected together to move in unisonjinto andout of engagement with theplaten or with a worksheet around the platen. In the form of feed-roll mechanism to which the present invention is applicable,each line of feed-rolls includesa supporting shaft alongwhich said rolls are spaced at suitable intervals for free rotation on said shaft. Spacers are used to separate. the individual rolls on each shaft, and great care hasbeen necessary heretofore to have the feed-rollsand spacers of precise length, so that there might be neither binding of the rolls nor excessive end play thereof. Binding would prevent free rotat on of the rolls on the shaft, and excessive end play would cause the'work-sheets to slip sidewise or skew when the platen-carriage was suddenly arrested during carriage return 'or tabulating movements. Heretofore tubular spacers have been employed for spacing and separating the feed-rolls alongtheir supporting shaft, the whole line of rolls thus assembled being retained against axial displace,

ment by suitable abutments formed at the ends or provided as part of the shaft su ports at intermediateportions of the sha t.

Such abutments "fix a considerable length of shaft within which a 'plurallty of ind vidual feed-rolls and spacers must be retained without end play. Even very small variations in the lengths of the several feedrolls and spacers strungout between the, abutments are liable to become cumulative In assembling a line of feed-rolls and spacers, it was necessary to either select a group of rolls andspacers whose. combined length was just right, to choose a group whose combined length was a little too long, and then reduce the length of one or more members, or to have onespacerorfeed-roll of sufficiently excess length that it might be reduced to effect. a proper length of any group. Such procedure was not only troublesome and ex-' pensive; but was a bar to easy interchangeability .of the parts.

- Narrow tubular collars settable along the shaft have-also been used hertofore to eliminate feed-roll side play. In some cases, these collars were secured to the shaft-by means of screws. It wasfound,-however,- that a collar would sometimes, through iloosening lars alsorendered it impracticable to replace a worn-out or damaged feed-roll.

' The present invention aims to use feed-f rolls whose lengths may vary within the limits of easily maintained manufacturing tol-V' erances, and to compensate for such varia: tion by providing spacers of: adjustable lengths. g

The invention further aims tojprov-ide'such a spacer in a form which may be economically made and applied,land which shall efficiently serve its purpose. To these ends, the inven-l tion vprovldes a spacer whose two ends are an nular collars or rings spaced apart, but, connected by-strips joined at their ends to said I collars or rings, and which strips'may be bent toextend or contract the'length of the resultingspacer. I For changing the spacerlength in the simplest and most effective man ner, each strip .is joined at its ends to the collars or rings at-ipoints which lie in a line extending in a helical or biased direction around the shaft-axis. The strips themselves maybe of a shape substantially conforming to this line. It results from this helical form or biased connection of the connecting strip or strips that a torsional twist given to one end of the spacer relatively to the other end causes the strip-portion to be extended or contracted lengthwise of the spaces or shaft-axis with acorresponding lengthening or shortening of the whole spacer.

For producing the spacers economically,

they may be stamped out of flat stock, and then rolled into a sleeve, easily slipped on the shaft. The blank or stampingwould include two parallel strips spaced apart, but joined by diagonal strips, the first-mentioned strips forming collars or ends of the spacer when the blank is rolled and formed into a sleeve, the diagonal strips of the blank forming the biased connecting strips or links between said collars. The number of biased strips joining the end collars of each spacer may be only one, or there might be more thanv the two diametrically opposite strips shown in the illustrated form of the invention.

The use of the novel spacers affords ready interchangeability of the parts. Furthermore, any feed-roll may, if necessary, be easily removed or replaced.

The spacers, loosely mounted on the feed-. roll shafts, are placed between the feed-rolls. Suitable means, as, for example, the heads of holding screws threaded into the ends of the shafts, are provided to retain the whole line of rolls and spacers on the shaft. The shaft with the feed-rolls and spacers is then mounted in the machine, and the rolls are tested for side play and free rotation. If any side play is found, one or more of the spacers is lengthened until all side play is eliminated. Should it be found that any of the feed-rolls is binding against the spacers, one or more of the latter is shortened just enough to' enable the rolls to revolve freely without introducing any side play.

When it is desired to replace worn-out or damaged feed-rolls in the machine, the shaft carrying the set of rolls and spacers is lifted out of the machine, and one of the end holding screws is removed, when any or all of the feed-rolls and spacers are free to slide off of the shaft, and the necessary replacements may be made. The parts are then reassembled, replaced in the machine and the spacers readjusted. 7

Suitable pliers or other collar gripping tools may be applied to the collars forming the ends of the spacer, which collars may thereby then be twisted, one relatively to the other, to lengthen or shorten the spacer.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear. r

In the accompanying drawing,

Figure 1 is a perspective view, showing a portion of a typewriter platen and carriage and two lines of feed-rolls with the improved spacers applied as separators for said feedrolls.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the feed roll assembly, and brings out details of the application of thenovel spacers, not apparent in Figure l.

Figure 3 is a perspective view, indicating how pliers or other suitable tools may be applied to the ends of the novel spacer to give a torsional twist to one end relatively to the other end, for lengthening or shortening the spacer.

Figure 4 is a perspective view, showing the novel spacer alone, and also showing 110w it has been rolled into sleeve form from a flat blank.

Figure 5 is a plan view, showing the form of the spacer-blank.

The usual platen 10 is fixed on a platenshaft 11 journaled in end plates 12 of a platen-frame 13 that includes a tie-rod or shaft 145 and a paper-table 15. The papertable extends down at the rear of the platen and curves beneath the same to form a de fiec'tor 16 for guiding the paper down at the rear of the machine, around the bottom of the platen and up toward the printing point.

The platen may be rotated by the usual line-spacing mechanism (not shown) or by the usual end knobs 17 fixed to the platenshaft.

Extending along and pressing against the lower part of the platen are sets of individual feed-rolls 18 and 19, rotatable on shafts 20 and 21, respectively. vEach shaft rests in hooked portions 22 of arms 23 swingable on the tie-rod 1 1 and held pressed towards the platen by springs 24:. These arms are positioned on the tie-rod 14 to support each feedroll shaft near its end portion and are retained laterally without side play by collars 25 fastened to the rod 14.

The feed-rolls are normally held pressed against the platen by the springs 24, but may be released by operating the usual release lever (not shown) to raise a link 26 and rock a shaft 27 having flat portions 28 which abut extensions 29 of the arms 28. The rocking of the shaft 27, effected by raising the link 26, swings the extensions 29 outwardly from the shaft 27 to rotate the arms 23 away from the platen and cause all of the feed-rolls to become released from the platen. Subsequent restoration of the link 26 and shaft 27 causes the feed-rolls to re'engage the platen.

The larger or rear set of feed-rolls are formed of a soft rubber tubing fixed to an inner metal tubing 31 having metal bushings 32 rigidly connected in the ends of the metal tubing by a forced fit.

This construction minimizes the weight of larger rolls 18 and also makes said weight more equal to that of the smaller front rolls 19 which are formed of a rubber tubing fixed over a metal tubing 34. These rolls are slipped onto the supporting shafts for free rotation thereon and are spaced apart to occupy different positions along the platen. Althoughthe feed-rolls must be freely rotatable on the shaft, it is essential that the slightest endwise movement of the feed-rolls be eliminated. For this purpose adjustable sleeves or spacers 35 are placed on the shafts 20, 21, in the spaces which separate the rolls 18 or 19. The adjustable spacer is made by bending'a fiat stamped-out piece of stock (Figure 5)," to form a pair of circular collars 36(Figure4),1connected and held apart by a pairof strips 37 joined attheir ends to said collars. v 4 "As seen in F igure 5, the spacer punching or blank includes a pair of parallel strips 36 of equal lengths that make up the collars '36, I

- Figure 4, when saidblank is rolled or otherferential spacing may 36by two pliers 48. p p

in the direction indicated by'the arrows, and

Wise shaped into the sleeve-formshown; in said Figure 1. Figure 5 further'shows how the parallel collar-strips 36 are spaced apart and connected by the pair of parallel strips 37 inclined to the collar-strips 36, each connecting stripextending diagonally from one ofth-eends of a collar-strip 36 to an inner portion of the opposite collar-strip 36. When the blank, Figure 5, is rolled or otherwise shaped to; form the sleeve shown in Figure 1, the connecting strips assume a helical curvature-and space the collars 36 apartto fix a'nominal overall length of the spacer from theother, so thatthe end faces of the spacers may remain substantially in'parallelism irrespective of the twist given to the end collars 36 for adjusting the spacer-lengths As shown in Figure 3, a spacer may-be; gripped circumferentially at its end collars By turning-said pliers at the same time, of course, gripping thecollars 36, the spacer is twisted from the form 7 indicated by the broken line 49, whichrepresents the'connecting strip 37 to the form indicated by the full line representing saidconnecting strip 37. During this twisting, the overall length of the-spacerwill have been extended by an amountindicated by the separation'of the broken'line 50, representing the collar 36, from the-full l ne representing said collar. Conversely, it wlll be evident that a twist given tothe end collars, relatively to one another in adirection opposite to that indicated by'the arrows, in

Figure'Q, will shorten thespacer. r I i The feed-rolls 18, 19 and spacers are re-, tainedon their respective shafts 20', 21 vby screws 38 threaded into and tightened against the'ends of the shafts, sothat the,

the overall length of screwheads, larger in diameter than 'the shafts,.form abutments for; thecend feeds rolls; The inner feed-rolls 18, of therear shaft 20 areiseparated and spaced endwise by the spacers 35. Said shaft 20 has portions 39 that'are reduced in diameter adjacent the inner side of the end feed-rolls, and these portions 39 have'diameters fitting the hooks 22 of the arms 23.-

Endwise of" the that saidarms '23 maybe adjusted by bending laterally to eliminateany side play of the end feed-rolls, or to free said rolls which are located between the holding screws 38 and said arms23. Any side play of the center rolls may now be eliminated by twisting the collars 36 of a spacer 35 inopposite directions, as aforesaid for lengthening a;

spacer. When a shaft is firstassembled, the amount ofsaidplay maybe large, due to the inaccuracies ofmanufacture, so that it becomes expedient to lengthenall the spacers to eliminate all of'the side play-of the, rolls :18, leaving only suflicient clearance for the free rotation of the rolls. It willrbe understood that a spacer may also beshortened by twisting the end collars in proper direction,

as aforesaidp said shortening being done when a feed-roll bind and is to be freed.

- The front feed-roll shaft 21 also supports a a set ofnarrow annular soft rubber pads 40 mounted in grooved bushings 41. pads engage the deflector 16 adjacent the openings 42, which'clear the front feed-rolls and hold the deflector in close proximity to the platen when the feed-rolls are in their paper-feeding position. A feed-roll19 and a bushing mounted pad 40 are. located end to .end at each end portion of the front feedroll shaft 21, and are retained between an arm 23iand an abutment screw 38. These arms 23am also bent toeliminate any side shaft, portions (Figure 2) are wider than the arms 23, S0

These.

play of the end feed-rolls, or. to free said rolls withoutintroducingr side play. The

side play between the center feed-rolls 19 is eliminated, or said rolls are freed, by adjustment of a spacer 35 located between an arm 23 anda center roll 19. If desired, a plain non-adjustable spacer in'the form of a tubing 43 may be placed between the center rolls since the two, adjustable spacers on the shaft are suflicient to eliminate all end play of the center rolls, or tofree said rolls. 7 I

Variations. may be resorted to within the scope of the invention, and portions of. the

improvements may be used without others 1 Having thus described my invention, I cla1m: i

1. he cembinttit waha feed-roll Sea and a plurality offe'ed-rolls' spacedat interg vals along said shaft, ofmeans "for spacing said rolls andfsecuringnthem against dis placement lengthwise of "said shaft-Lisaid means including an elongate spacingsleeve whose ends are collars surrounding said shaft, said sleeve including a strip joined to and spacing said collars apart, saiddstrip being formed so as to be bendable for changing the spacing between said collars, and thereby adjusting the over-all length of the sleeve.

. 2. In a feed-roll assembly, the combination with a feed-roll shaft and a feed-roll rotatable on said shaft, of means abutting one end of said feed-roll, a member of said assembly spaced lengthwise of the shaft from the other end of said feed-roll, and an elongate spacer of adjustable length on said shaft, having one end abut said other end of said feed-roll and having the other end abut said member, said length being adjustable to adjust end play of said feed-roll.

. 3. An adjustable spacer formed of two end collars and a strip or strips joined to and connecting said end collars, said strip or strips being bendable to contract or expand the distance between said collars, and thereby vary the length of the spacer.

4. Adjustable means for spacing rolls and securing them against lengthwise displacement, said means including an elongate spacing sleeve whose ends are collars, d sleeve including connections spacing said collars apart and joined thereto at points biasing said connections circumferentially of the sleeve, whereby twisting one end or collar of the sleeve relatively to the other end or col lar changes the length of the sleeve.

5. An adjustable spacer formed of two end collars, and including diametrically opposite helical strips, each strip having its ends joined to andthereby connecting and spacing said end collars, said spacer being capable of having its length shortened or extended by twisting one end collar relatively to the other, and by virtue of the resu'ti I winding or unwinding of said helical st 6. In a machine having a shaft and ee rolls spaced along said shaft, a feed-roll spacer formed of a sheet-metal blank having parallel spaced'apart end strips and diagonal connecting strips, said blank being rolled or otherwise shaped into a sleeve which may be slipped onto said shaft. so that the first-1nentioned parallel strips form end collars and the diagonal strips form helical connecting strips between said collars, the length of said sleeve being adjustable by twisting one collar relatively to the other, thereby winding or unwinding the helical strips.

7 In a machine having a shaft and feedrolls spaced along said shaft, a feed-roll spacer formed of a sheet-metal blank having parallel spaced-apart end strips and diagonal connecting strips, said blank being rolled or otherwise shaped into a sleeve which may he slipped onto said shaft, sothat the firstmentioned parallel strips form end collars and the diagonal strips form helical connecte ing strips between said collars, the length of said sleeve being adjustable by twisting one collar relatively to the other, thereby winding or unwinding the helical strips, said end strips being of lengths which result in the ends of said strips abutting to form collars that are complete circumferentially when the blank is shaped into a sleeve.

8. A spacer formed of a sheet-metal blank having parallel spaced-apart end strips and diagonal connecting strips, said blank being rolled or otherwise shaped into a sleeve, so that the first-mentioned parallel strips form end collars and the diagonal strips form helical connecting strips between said collars, the length of said sleeve being adjustable by twisting one collar relatively to the'other, thereby winding or unwinding the helical strips, said diagonally strips being disposed in said blank so that the helical strips into which said diagonal strips are transformed when the blank is shaped into the sleeve are evenly spaced circumfercntially of said sleeve.

9. A spacer formed of a sheet-metal blank having parallel spaced-apart end strips and diagonal connecting strips, said blank being rolled or otherwise shaped into a sleeve, so that the first-mentioned parallel strips form end collars and the diagonal strips form helical connecting strips between said collars, the length of said sleeve being adjustable by twisting one collar relatively to the other, thereby winding or unwinding the helical strips, said end strips being of lengths which result inthe ends of said strip abutting to form collars that are complete circumfen entially when the blank is shaped into a sleeve, said diagonal strips being disposed in said blank so that the helical strips into which said diagonal strips are transformed when the blank is shaped into the sleeve are evenly spaced circumferentiz'illy of said sleeve.

10. In a typewriting machine or the like having a revoluble platen, feed-roll mechanismincluding a shaft parallel to said platen, a plurality of feed-rolls for co-operating with said platen and spaced along said shaft from end to end, transverse arms supporting said shaft and swingably mounted for effecting movement of said rolls to and from the platen, the ends of said shaft having feedroll abutments, and the arms being spaced from said abutments and from oneanother, and spacers of adjustable lengths co operating with said arms and abutments to space the feed-rolls along said shaft, the spacers having provision for adjusting their lengths. and the arms being adjustable lengthwise of the shaft, to take up end play of all the feed-rolls or to free said rolls without introducing end play in any of them.

11. In a typewriting machine or the like having a revoluble platen, feed-roll mechanism including a shaftparallel to said platen, I

a plurality of feed-rolls for co-operating with said platen and spaced along said shaft from end to end, transverse arms supporting said shaft and ,swingably mounted for effecting movementof said rolls to and from theplaten,

the ends of said shaft having feed-roll abutments, and the arms being spaced from said abutments and from one another, and spacers of adjustable lengths cooperatingwith 'said arms and abutments to space the feed-rolls along said shaft, the spacers having provi-] sion for adjustingtheir lengths, and the arms being adjustable lengthwise of the shaft,

edrelatively tothe other, theoverall length of the spacer is lengthened or shortened, adr said spacers being formed of end collars and a biased links joined to and connecting said collars,whereby, when one end collar is twistjustmen't'of said arms and spacers, as aforesaid, being elfective to take up end playof all the feed-rolls or to free said rolls without in- WILLIAM F. HELMOND. 

